Waste Management Guidelines 2022 edition | Page 5

If your office ever generates more than 220 pounds of hazardous waste in a month , then it must comply with federal hazardous waste regulations for managing ( accumulating , recording , manifesting , etc .) hazardous waste . If you generate hazardous waste , you may be held responsible for such waste , even after it has been taken to a recycling or disposal facility . For this , and other reasons , waste reduction and recycling are strongly advised .
Please use this link to be directed the EPA ’ s Fact Sheet on Requirements for Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Hazardous Waste Generators : https :// www . epa . gov / hwgenerators / fact-sheetrequirements-conditionally-exempt-small-quantity-generators-hazardous-waste
Hazardous materials used in the dental office have the potential to become hazardous wastes . Examples of such materials include :
• Mercury and silver used in making amalgam
• Lead found in lead-foil packets and lead shields
• Silver found in X-ray fixer solutions
• Formaldehyde , acetones and ketones in Chemiclave chemicals
Hazardous materials that are recycled are not considered hazardous waste . Depending on how you choose to handle hazardous materials or hazardous wastes , always contact the recycling , transportation or disposal facility for packaging , handling and shipping requirements .
Universal Waste
Universal wastes are certain hazardous wastes generated by a large population and are subject to streamlined hazardous waste regulations , designed to facilitate environmentally sound collection and increase proper recycling or treatment . Universal wastes may or may not be found in the dental office . Such wastes include :
• Batteries
• Pesticides
• Mercury containing equipment and lamps
• Oil-based finishes ( Pennsylvania regulation )
• Photographic solutions ( Pennsylvania regulation )
Universal waste management does not require the use of a manifest , or a licensed transporter to transport waste to a permitted treatment , storage or disposal facility .
Federal regulations regarding universal waste can be found at : https :// www . ecfr . gov / cgi-bin / text-id x ? SID = fb7345548407c01c44a11b3735453cab & mc = true & tpl =/ ecfrbrowse / Title40 / 40cfr273 _ main _ 02 . tpl
Pennsylvania regulations regarding universal waste can be found at : https :// www . pacode . com / secure / data / 025 / chapter266b / chap266btoc . html
For more information about universal waste , please refer to DEP ’ s website : http :// www . dep . pa . gov / BUSINESS / LAND / WASTE / SOLIDWASTE / HAZARDOUSWASTE / UNIVERSALWASTES / Pages / default . aspx
PDA Waste Management Guidelines 4